Pneumatic self-playing musical instrument.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

L. B. D'OMAN.

PNEUMATIC SELF PLAYING MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT APPLICATION FILED OUT. 6, 1904.

fwrrzziiazi Miiaray.

WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES A) PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS B. DOMAN, OF ELBRIDGE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMPHION PIANO PLAYER COMPANY, OF ELBRIDGE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PNEUMATIC SELF-PLAYING" MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. June 11, 1907.

Application filed t0l181 6, 1904. Serial No. 227,471

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Lnwis B, DOMAN, of Elbridge, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Self- Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a lull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic self-playing musical instruments, similar to that set forth in my pending application, Serial No. 221,996, filed, August 24, 1904, but involving a different mechanism :l' or controlling the expression.

In my present application, I have sought to control the force of action of the key-open ating pneumatics by interposing an additional pneumatic between the air exhausting 2o device and the exhaust chambers of the pneumatic key action, and to provide this additional pneumatic with a porous valve operable manually under varying pressure ortension to control the tension of the vacuum in the exhaust chambers and to thereby control the "force of action of the key-operating pneumatics which are brought into communication with the exhaust chamber as the perforations in the music-sheet are registered with 0 the ducts of the tracker-board.

Other objects and uses will. appear in the following description.

in the drawings Figure 1 is a detail sectional view partly in elevation of a portion of showing my improved expression controlling mechanism. i 2 is a sectional view through the expression controlling pneumatic and its controlling lever seen in big. 1.

The keys, as c, of the musical instrument, are operated by striking fingers -1- which are connected by links 2 to their coresponding key pneumatics -3. These pneumatics 3- are mounted upon suitable shelves 4 having an exhaust chamber -5 and suit able ports 6- and -7 the ports 6- serving as a connection between the exhaust chamber 5 and pneumatic 3, while the port *7 serves to connect said pneumatic with the atmosphere. The valve tplays between the ports 6 and i'- to open one and close the other and is operated. by a primary pneua pneumatic self-pla y ing musical instrument matic 9. Each pneumatic 3 is provided with a corresponding valve 8 and primary pneumatic 9. These primary pneumatics are connected to the ducts of a suitable tracker-board 1() over which travels a perforated music-sheet 11-.

A partial vacuum is maintained in the exhaust chamber -5 by any suitable means, not necessary to herein illustrate or describe. but which is su'llicient to cause the operation of the key-pneumatics *3 as the perforations are successively presented to the ducts of the tracker-board 10-. The operation of this part of the mechanism is believed to be well understood without further description, and I will, therefore, now proceed to describe the essential l'eature of this invention, which. consists in a pneumatic 12- having separate ports 13* and 14, the port 13 being connected by a conduit 15 to the exhaust chamber -5 and the other port ].4t is adapted to be connected by a conduit 16 to any suitable suction de vice whereby a partial vacuum may be maintained in the conduits 15- and 16 and the chamber 5*.

A valve 18 is mounted upon the movable wall of the pneumatic -12- to partially open or close the port l i, said valve being provided with a felt or equivalent porous facing -19- to prevent the absolute closing of said port. The pneumatic -12" is connected to and between the chamber -5 and air exhausting device, as B, and therefore, a partial vacuum of varying degrees of intensity is maintained in thepneumatic 12- and chamber 5* while at the same time a substantially constant reserve vacuum of high tension is maintained between the pneumatic -12 and exhausting device. As the valve -18" is brought into close relation with its port -14. the porous facing -19 allows the air to slowly sift therethrough sullicient to maintain a p artial, but greatly subdued vacuum in the chamber -5 sutlicient to cause a soft light action of the key-striking pneumatics This pneumatic 12 therefore performs the function of a governor to regulate the musical expression or force of action of the key operating pneumatics and while the unretarded action of the governor in decrescendo or pianissimo eflects is substantially automatic, the intermediate, ort

step-by-step gradations of force or expression From one extreme to the other, or the accenting o1 individual notes or chords is ac complished by introducing a variable or adjustable resistance which opposes with greater or less force the collapse of the pneumatic t'2-. This resistance is shown as consisting ol" a spring 20, having one end connected to the movable side of the bel ows *l2- and its other end is connected to a rock-lever -2l which is operated by a hand-lever 22*, and in turn serves to hold the lever *22 in its adjusted position. Xow, it the lever 22 is rocked into registration with the character of a scale 2-lthe tension on the spring 20 will at once he released and permit the collapse of the bellows -1'2 and covering of the port ]-il-, thereby subduing the intensity of vacuum in the chamber -5 and consequent force of action oi the key pneumatics -3- to produce a pianissimo e'ti'eet in the playing of a selection. It the fortissin'io ell'ect is desired, the lever -2'2- is rocked by hand to register with the character t-, by which opera tion the spring -2S is tensioned to completely distend the bellows -12- and to hold it from collapse so as to maintain an unobstructed communication between the exhausting device and chamber 5 and throw the full tension of the vas cuum into the ltey striking pneumatics. It is now seen that by adjusting the lever to points intermediate the extremes, the tension of the springis varied and allows the valve -18- to come into more or less close rela tion with its port 1+t which controls the intensity of the vacuum in the chamber, and therefore, a step-by-step regulation of the expression may be obtained by simply varying the tension or the spring -20 or its equivalent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. in. a pneumatic self-playing musical instrument, an air exhausting device, and a. pneumatic connected thereto, and to atmosphere, in combination with a second pneumatic coimected to and between said device and first named pneumatic a cam connected to the second pneumatic, and a lever operating against the cam and operable manually to control the intensity of vacuum in the first named pneumatic.

2. in a pneumatic self-playing musical instrument, an air exhaust device, in combina tion with the exhaust chamber of a. sound producing action communicating with said exhaust device, a pneumatic in the connection between the exhaust device and exhaust chamber of the sound producing action, a valve actuated by said pneumatic to control such communication and means in cluding a. cam and lever for controlling the operation oi said pneumatic.

3. In a pneumatic self-playing musical in strument, an air exhausting device in combination with an exhaust chamber and a striker pneumatic connected to said chamber and to atmosphere, means including a. perforated music-sheet to automatic: vlly connect the pneumatic, first with the atmosphere and then with the exhaust chamber, a second pneumatic connected to and between the exhaust chamber and said air exhaust device and having a movable member operable manually to partially close comnuinication between said device and exhaust chamber a rocking cam connected to said movable member, and a lever operating against the cam to rock the same.

4-. In a pneumatic self-playing mus -al instrume'nt, an air exhaust device, a sound producing action having an exhaust chamber, a pneumatic having two ports, one connected to the air exhaust device, and the other connected to the exhaust chamber o'l' the sound producing action, a valve on the movable side of said pneumatic and coact ing with the first named port to control the air tension in the exhaust chamber of the sound producing action, a lever connected to the movable side of said pneun'latic and provided with an incline bearing face, and manually operated means riding upon said incline face to rock said lever.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this day of September 1904.

LEYIS B. DOUAN.

itnesses ALBERT E. PETRIE, Mrs. Tnonas ELLIOTT. 

